NASHVILLE (BP) -- Striving for racial reconciliation was costly for some Southern Baptist pastors in the 1950s, 60s and 70s. It cost Jack Kwok his property, Paul Turner a beating by angry segregationists and Thomas Holmes his pastorate.

But Kwok, now executive director of the State Convention of Baptists in Ohio, says the price pastors and other ministers paid was worth the result: Today, though more progress is needed, nearly one in five Southern Baptist churches is non-Anglo, and about half of North American Mission Board church plants are predominantly non-Anglo. Read More

WAKE FOREST, N.C. (BP) -- Reprinting a theology book by a former slave "offers a window" into the "underexplored vista" of African-American theology, says the Southern Baptist Convention officer who has rediscovered the work.

Originally published in 1890 by Charles Octavius Boothe, "Plain Theology for Plain People" was reprinted last year by Lexham Press at the prompting of Walter Strickland, SBC first vice president and associate vice president for Kingdom diversity initiatives at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Read More

GANGNEUNG, South Korea (BP) -- Visitors to the Coca-Cola Pin Trading Center at Olympic Park walk in and peer at the hundreds of small pins spread in front of the traders standing behind the counter.

The colors and designs are enough to catch anyone's eye, encompassing pins from past Olympics in places like Sochi, Rio de Janeiro and Atlanta. And there are sport-specific pins depicting soccer, figure skating and gymnastics, along with corporate pins bearing the logos of Coca-Cola, McDonald's and NBC. Read More

PARKLAND, Fla. (BP) -- Amid the pressing anguish from the school shooting that claimed 17 lives in Florida, Baptists nationwide can come alongside victims and families by interceding in prayer, key Baptist leaders said in sorrow-laden statements.

Tommy Green, executive director of the Florida Baptist Convention, stated, "We ask that our Southern Baptist family join us in specific prayer this Sunday for those impacted by this horrific event. Our prayer is for God to grant comfort, mercy, and peace to these families." Read More

PYEONGCHANG, South Korea (BP) -- Snowboarder Kelly Clark fell just short of adding to her Olympic medal collection, finishing fourth in the women's halfpipe competition earlier this week.

Chloe Kim won gold for the U.S., while Clark's best run of 83.50 couldn't beat teammate Arielle Gold's score of 85.75.

"I'm not done yet, but I don't think that many people get to stay around long enough to see what their legacy could look like," Clark, 34, said. "I'm extremely proud of these girls and I take a lot of pride in seeing them do well. It's been great to be a part of it for so long." Read More

Formed in 1946 by the Southern Baptist Convention, and supported with Cooperative Program funds, Baptist Press (BP) is a daily (M-F) international news wire service. Operating from a central bureau in Nashville, Tenn., BP works with four partnering bureaus (Richmond, Va.; Atlanta, Ga.; Nashville, Tenn.; and Washington, D.C.), as well as with a large network of contributing writers, photographers and editorial providers, to produce BP News.